Pinned
by inkstainedfingers97
Summary: "I didn't agree to this!" Lisbon said furiously. "For the last time, we are not going steady!" Sequel to "The Arrest."
1. Chapter 1

A/N: This is really a continuation of another story, 'The Arrest,' but it has such a different tone than the rest of that story that I thought it made sense to publish them as two separate stories. I tried to write 'The Arrest' so it can stand alone, but I'm pretty sure this one won't make a lick of sense if you haven't read that first. 'The Arrest' is pretty angsty and this story is 100% fluff. Seriously, it has absolutely no redeeming social value whatsoever and is so sickeningly sweet it may cause cavities. Consider this fair warning.

Title: Pinned

xxx

It took Jane three months to wear her down.

He hadn't expected her to put up quite as much of a fight as she did, truth be told. The extent of her stubbornness was even greater than he'd anticipated. He found this pretty impressive, to be honest. Also, he realized, she'd actually *meant* all those things she'd said about being wary of letting him take over her personal life when keeping him out of trouble at work consumed most of her energy in her professional life. It was a good thing he'd realized she'd never have worn ruffles to save him from going to jail unless she loved him, or he might have started to worry that her continued resistance to his overtures might prove that he actually *wasn't* irresistible. But of course he was. So really, it was just a matter of convincing her that he truly was in love with her, too, and that he was planning to stay, and eventually she'd cave in and agree to let him be in her life in a more than professional capacity. He figured he'd ease her into the idea that when he told her he wanted to be in her life, he meant, you know, forever. Jane wasn't the type of man for half measures. It was all or nothing, for him. And he wanted all of her.

So he came up with a plan. It was one of his more brilliant ones, if he did say so himself. It had subtle layers and would need to be executed with careful timing throughout its several stages. The trick was going to be patience. That was the key. If he could manage that, he was certain that everything else would fall into place nicely.

xxx

The first stage of the attack went pretty much as he'd anticipated.

About a week after the trial, he received a package that had enabled him to move forward with his preliminary scheme.

Fortunately, she'd come around more quickly on the kissing front than he'd expected, which he was able to use to his advantage. He'd decided to go forward with a plan of kissing her early and often to bring her around on the whole courtship idea.

Appealing to her physical desire for affection had been a good decision. He'd always known Lisbon was a deeply passionate person who kept her strongest urges buttoned up tightly beneath her professional appearance, but he had to admit that his suspicions in that direction hadn't prepared him for the reality of kissing Teresa Lisbon when she decided to hold nothing back.

Obviously, this was an area in which she had been neglected for far too long. He resolved to continue a steady stream of kisses for her own good. Plus, he liked the kissing, too. He'd never considered himself an addictive personality, but now it was a chore to go for a prolonged period of time without tasting her. Unfortunately, she had a deeply ingrained paranoia about kissing at the office. She tended to send nervous glances towards Rigsby and Van Pelt and start muttering about regulations and hypocrisy whenever he managed to steal a kiss during normal business hours. He was usually able to get a few minutes of high quality necking on her office couch if he caught her when there weren't too many other people around and he had the foresight to draw the blinds before attempting to maneuver himself into a position most advantageous for getting a taste of the smooth column of her neck. Fortunately for him, once Lisbon decided to break her own rules, she did so with complete abandon. Once he initiated the kissing, it was not uncommon for him to find himself being kissed within an inch of his life by one Teresa Lisbon.

Admittedly, it was somewhat frustrating that between make out sessions, she continued to pretend there was nothing going on between them, as though they hadn't had their tongues stuck down each other's throat thirty seconds earlier.

No matter. He now had the mechanism he needed to get beyond that particular obstacle.

He breezed into her office. "Hey, Rigsby's going out for sandwiches. I told him you'd take a turkey club but he says he needs the money up front."

"Oh, sure." She reached into her desk drawer for her wallet. She rummaged around in the drawer, apparently without success. "That's weird. I can't find my wallet."

"Try your pocket," he suggested.

She put her hand into her jacket pocket and her face creased in confusion as she felt an unfamiliar object under her fingertips. She drew it out and looked at it. It was not her wallet, but a small, square box with a red bow on it. "What is this?"

"I told you. I'm courting. You get gifts."

"Jane," she said warningly.

"At least do me the courtesy of opening it before attempting to refuse my gift, woman," he said lightly.

She sighed and opened the package. It held a small golden pin in the shape of circle with a bumblebee in the middle of it.

She looked up at him, horrified.

He was delighted. "Ah, so you remember, then."

"Where did you get this?" she demanded.

"Well, it wasn't easy, let me tell you. Mrs. Gusterson, who is apparently is in charge of such things, is not in the habit of giving out school pins to just anyone. I was forced to give her all the sordid details of my plan before she would agree to send me this. She approves of my methods of wooing, by the way. Seems to think I'm quite the gentleman and that there ought to be more young men like me in the world these days. She said to say hello to you, incidentally. She remembers you fondly, although I can't say the same about your dear baby brothers. Apparently they were quite the hellions back in high school."

"You called my high school?" she said, flabbergasted.

"It seemed the most expedient way of getting my hands on the school pin I promised you."

She shook her head. "Mrs. Gusterson is still there?"

"Oh, yes. I get the sense she's one of those women who will never submit to the incomprehensible weakness of dying until there are no more young rapscallions in the world who need proper bringing up by the firm hand of a good woman. There's no doubt in my mind that Mrs. Gusterson will outlive you and me both, dear Lisbon. Now, please allow me to do the honors." And before she knew what was happening, he'd taken the box away from her and was pinning the tiny bumblebee to the lapel of her blazer.

He stepped back to survey his handiwork and grinned at her, smug as she'd ever seen him. "I told you I was going to pin you, Lisbon."

It was a good thing he was so damn annoying, or she might have been in real danger of succumbing to the thought that he could be quite sweet when he wanted to be. "I can't wear this, Jane."

"Certainly, you can." He stepped back towards her and dropped a kiss lightly on her lips.

It had probably been a mistake to let him keep kissing her. Clearly, he was getting the idea that he was winning this argument about whether they were a couple or not. The problem was, she couldn't seem to help herself. Whenever he kissed her, it was like he was striking a match inside her; she couldn't prevent the heat from searing through her. She kept telling herself to stop, but it was like trying to give up heroin. She simply couldn't do it on her own. She'd need the source of her addiction forcibly removed from her presence and the help of a team of medical professionals before she'd have any chance of winning that battle. So, she'd more or less capitulated when it came to the kissing, trying to keep her head about everything else. This being one of those everything elses. "I don't think so."

He smiled again. "Now, everyone will know you're mine."

Yes, it was definitely a good thing that he was so annoying. "I'm not yours and I'm not wearing this pin. And even if I were, no one would have any idea what it meant, because it's not 1937, and no one pins anyone anymore."

He grinned. "Wanna bet?"

She removed the pin from her jacket and handed it back to him. "Jane, I appreciate the gesture, and everything, but there's no way in hell I'm wearing a bumblebee pin around everywhere I go."

"Oh, you will wear it. And everyone in this building will know what it means."

"No, they won't—"

Grace came in then, bearing a file that needed Lisbon's signature. Jane stepped around to Lisbon's side, brushing against her as he moved to give Grace room to enter. "Hey boss, I have the Michaelson file for you." She handed the file to Lisbon. "Hey, nice pin. I don't recognize it. Is it new?"

"What?" Lisbon looked down and saw the offending bumblebee pinned to the exact spot she'd just removed it from. "Oh, for crying out loud."

Jane raised his hand. "I gave it to her."

Grace's eyes widened. "You gave her your school pin?"

"Yes, I did," Jane said proudly. "Well, technically, it's her school pin, but the point is, it's a school pin, and I gave it to her."

Grace's face softened into a gooey expression that Lisbon was entirely uncomfortable having directed at her. "That is so romantic."

Cho entered then, looking for an expense form.

"Cho, Jane gave Lisbon his school pin. Like they're going steady. Isn't that sweet?"

"I guess," Cho said, as expressionless as usual. He looked at Jane. "Took you long enough." He looked back at Lisbon. "Congratulations." He looked back at Jane and shook his head. "If that's the right word."

"It's not," Lisbon began. "We're not—"

But no one was listening to her. Cho looked around and called out to the bullpen. "Hey, Rigsby. Jane finally got his head out of his ass."

Rigsby came in, looking confused. "What do you mean, he finally asked Lisbon out?"

Cho nodded. "He gave her his school pin."

Rigsby broke out into a grin. "No kidding? Old school. Nice, man," he said approvingly, offering Jane his fist for a bump of manly approval.

Jane graciously bumped his fist against Rigsby's and accepted his congratulations with a contented smile.

Lisbon realized he was standing very close to her, and that his other hand had snaked its way around her waist. God, he was so stealthy. How did he do that? She stepped away from him hastily and put up a hand to forestall her team from jumping to any unwarranted conclusions. "Hang on. Jane and I are not—"

Jane interjected, quickly stepping back up to her side again. "What Lisbon is trying to say is, this is all very new, and we haven't exactly gotten around to making an official announcement or anything."

"That's not what I was going to say," Lisbon said. "Look, guys, there's nothing going on. This is all a big misunderstanding."

Jane squeezed her affectionately. "Don't mind her. She wanted to tell you guys, really. She's just still getting used to the idea." He winked at the team. "You know how she is."

They all nodded understandingly and assured him they did know how she is, and that they were very happy for the two of them.

Jane wasn't so foolish as to believe that was the end of the discussion of the bumblebee pin, however. Lisbon dealt him a vicious pinch, muttered something about where she was going to be sticking his precious pin, and vowed she would never wear it again.

Fortunately, Jane had planned for this reaction. His response was to toss her the wallet she'd been missing and advise her that he'd already paid Rigsby for her sandwich with his own money, reminding her that a gentleman never allows a lady he's pursuing to pay for lunch. And that he was sure she'd grow as fond of seeing the symbol of his abiding affection for her pinned to her clothing as he was already.

Lisbon growled at him and chucked the pin at his head.


	2. Chapter 2

He put it back on her at the first opportunity, naturally. Lisbon kept taking the pin off, but really, she was so predictable about where she put it when she removed it. She tried the desk drawer, her pocket, the fichus plant in the hall, the paper towel holder in the women's restroom, even the trash can. But he found it every time. Getting close enough to her to pin it back on her without her noticing was almost criminally easy, especially since she hadn't caught on that it was easiest to do this when he bent in to steal a kiss, and she hadn't yet displayed much inclination to make him stop the kissing.

She finally realized she had no chance of preventing him from pinning her as long as the pin was anywhere in the office, so she tried leaving it at home, certain that this would stop him.

The day she tried this, she remained pin free until ten am. She thought this signaled her victory at last, but she was called into a meeting with Hightower at that time which firmly disabused her of that notion.

"Ma'am?" she said, pushing her way into Hightower's office. "We have an appointment?"

"Ah, there you are, darling," Jane's voice came from Hightower's couch.

Lisbon jumped. "Jane, what the hell?"

He stood and took his hand in hers. Lisbon stared down at her hand in Jane's as though it were an alien appendage. "What are you doing?"

He ignored her and cleared his throat. "Madeleine, I won't beat around the bush. Teresa and I thought it would be best that you know that we are seeing each other now." He looked at Hightower meaningfully. "Socially."

"I see," Hightower said cryptically.

Lisbon recovered herself and yanked her hand away from Jane's. "That's not true," she said decisively, determined that this situation not be allowed to get out of hand the way the one with the team had. "Jane and I are NOT seeing each other. We are not a couple."

Jane sighed. "Now, Teresa, I thought we agreed on this. We can't keep sneaking around like guilty teenagers. It's not fair to us and it's not fair to our colleagues." He turned back to Hightower. "She's just got cold feet. She didn't want to tell you, you see. She was convinced you would try to separate us like you did Rigsby and Van Pelt."

"No, I wasn't," Lisbon said. She looked at Hightower. "I'm not. Because we are not together."

Jane patted her on the shoulder comfortingly. "It's not going to do us any good if you continue to deny it, Teresa. You're not exactly convincing."

To her dismay, Lisbon realized he was right. Hightower looked as though she would be more likely to believe the Easter Bunny was real than any word Lisbon could say on the matter. "It's not true," she said desperately. "He's lying."

Jane coughed delicately. "Now, Teresa, you can hardly deny that we have been doing a fair amount of kissing lately."

Lisbon's face flamed. God, he was such a bastard. She couldn't believe he'd told Hightower about that. And now she couldn't say anything, because her blasted Irish skin was giving her away like a freaking scarlet letter.

"Besides, if we're not a couple, why do I have a key to your apartment?" he asked, holding up a silver key as evidence of his claim.

"Because you broke in and had a copy made without my permission!"

"Do you really expect Hightower to believe that you, Teresa Lisbon, wouldn't have arrested any man who broke into her apartment and copied her key without her permission?"

This whole incident had happened not even a week ago. She'd come home to find him whistling in the kitchen as he chopped vegetables for a frittata he was making. When she'd demanded to know what the hell he was doing in her apartment, he'd nonchalantly explained that he'd stolen her keys and had a copy of her house key made. Clearly, she should have arrested him for breaking and entering when she had the chance, but she'd sat down and ate the frittata like a sucker because… well, she was hungry. And then Jane had kissed her after dessert and she'd gotten kind of distracted from the whole key issue.

She faltered. "I—" But no words came that could explain this in a remotely plausible way to Hightower.

Jane seized his advantage. He looked back at Hightower with his most winning smile. "I gave her my school pin," he announced. "The mascot is a bumblebee. Not the most awe inspiring figure, I'll admit, but tradition is tradition."

Now Lisbon was on firmer ground. "I told you I wasn't going to wear that."

"What's that, then?" Hightower asked, pointing at her blazer.

Lisbon looked down at the lapel of her blazer. She saw the bumblebee pin glinting back up at her and swore.

"She's such a romantic at heart she can't bear to take it off," Jane said fondly.

Hightower eyed the pin critically. "It's very nice."

"Thanks," Lisbon mumbled.

Jane put his arm around her and addressed Hightower. "So, can we count on your support?"

Hightower sighed. "This puts me in a difficult position, Agent Lisbon. Department policy prohibits personal relationships between co-workers. However, we need Jane's skills in the field desperately. I'd transfer him, but I'm convinced no one else can manage him as well as you can, so I'm reluctant to force him on another team unless absolutely necessary."

"Plus, you know I'll make myself even more of a pain in the ass than usual if you try separating me from Lisbon," Jane added helpfully, giving Hightower his most charming smile.

She glared at him. "And there's that. On the other hand, I can't exactly grant you two an exception to a rule that applies to everyone else in the building. I'll have to go to the higher ups and see about modifying the department policy on such things. Office relationships will be allowed as long as there are no public displays of affection in the office and if the supervisor of the individuals involved believes they can conduct themselves professionally while they are on the job." She cleared her throat. "I trust you will let Agents Rigsby and Van Pelt know about this change in policy."

"Certainly," Jane promised.

Lisbon shook his arm off her. "Ma'am, I appreciate what you're trying to do, but I assure you, it's completely unnecessary. Jane and I will not be conducting a personal relationship outside the office."

Hightower fixed her with a look that made her feel like she'd been caught making out under the bleachers by the principal. "Teresa, Patrick is right. Sneaking around is never a good idea. Now, I think I'm being very understanding about this whole situation, but please don't try my patience by pretending that there's nothing going on between you two. It's been obvious for years that you two have feelings for each other. I'm just glad you're finally being honest about it."

"Not to worry, Madeleine," Patrick said while Lisbon processed the fact that her boss apparently thought she'd been in love with her consultant for at least the past several years. "We'll be on our best behavior. We'll be the CBI's golden couple."

"I didn't agree to this!" Lisbon said furiously. "For the last time, we are not going steady!"

"Now, now, Teresa. The bumblebee doesn't lie. Come on, we mustn't take up any more of Madeleine's precious time."

He started to herd her out the door despite her vocal protests, but Hightower's voice stopped them. "Patrick? Teresa?" She cleared her throat. "I just want you to know, on a personal note, I couldn't be more pleased for you both."

Lisbon's jaw dropped, and Jane beamed. "Thank you, Madeleine." And he ushered Lisbon out of the office before she could say anything else.

Lisbon waited until they were past the view of Hightower's windows and then socked him on the arm. "I'm going to hurt you so very badly, Patrick Jane."

He winced. "Lisbon, really, keep your voice down. Do you really want to start water cooler talk that we have *that* kind of relationship?"

Lisbon looked around, panicked, before she realized he was trying to deflect her from the matter at hand. "How the *hell* did you manage to get this damn pin on me again? I took it off my jacket this morning and left it on the bathroom counter at home." She stopped short. "Oh, my God. Did you break into my apartment again?"

"No, that wasn't necessary."

"Then how on earth-?"

"Come here, I'll show you." He led her into the bullpen and over to the desk which he never used but was nevertheless assigned to him. He nodded at the desk. "Open the drawer."

She gave him a suspicious look and did as he said. She stared, mouth agape. There, in the top drawer, lay at least two hundred replicas of the bumblebee pin, all exactly alike.

"Mrs. Gusterson couldn't understand why I needed so many," Jane said cheerfully. "I had to tell her you were extremely forgetful and were worried if you lost a few I would think it was some kind of subconscious rejection of my romantic gesture. Don't bother trying to get rid of these, by the way." He winked. "I've got another hundred in my car."

After that, Lisbon pretty much stopped fighting him on the whole bumblebee thing. The pin became a permanent fixture, appearing on whatever article of clothing she happened to be wearing at the time.


	3. Chapter 3

Despite the fact that Lisbon considered both the pin issue and the debacle in Hightower's office as resounding defeats, Jane didn't believe he started making any significant progress on his goals until the baseball game.

Lisbon picked him up on a beautifully sunny Saturday afternoon, apologetically explaining she'd gotten a call stating there was a dead body outside a baseball stadium in San Francisco they needed to investigate. "Cho and the guys are already on their way down. Sorry to ruin your Saturday with this."

Jane assured her cheerfully that he didn't mind at all.

"That's weird," she commented when they pulled up to the stadium. Hundreds of people were filing through the turnstiles at the main entrance to the stadium.

"What's weird?"

"Local pd should have cordoned off the area by now, but I don't see any squad cars around."

"Hm."

"Maybe this is the wrong location," she said, checking her phone.

"What did dispatch say?"

"Giants stadium, main entrance."

"Well, this is it. Maybe we'd better take a closer look."

"I guess so."

They got out of the car. Lisbon craned her neck to see past the crowds. "I don't see Cho and the guys anywhere."

Behind her, Jane discreetly nodded at a nearby parking attendant and then proceeded to slip him fifty dollars.

When Lisbon turned around, the young man was peeling away from the curb.

"Hey!" Lisbon shouted. "Come back! You can't do that!"

"Oh, of course he can. I gave him the keys and a hefty tip."

"You lifted my keys?"

"Relax, Lisbon. You couldn't very well have left it at the curb like that. You probably would have been towed."

"This is a murder investigation. I can leave my car wherever the hell I see fit."

"Ah, actually… it isn't."

"Isn't what?"

"It isn't a murder investigation."

"What do you mean? I got the call from dispatch two hours ago."

"Yes, Doris is a lovely woman, isn't she?"

"When I called him, Cho told me the rest of the team was already on their way down here."

"Yes, he did, and I'm twenty dollars poorer for it."

She shook her head, disbelieving. "What are you saying?"

"I'm saying, dear Lisbon, that there was no murder. I lured you here under false pretenses."

"Jane, this was my day off! And now you've hijacked it for no good reason. Why the hell would you do that?"

"I believe you'll find the answer to that question in your left jacket pocket."

Lisbon gingerly reached into her pocket and pulled out a small white envelope. "What's this?" she asked suspiciously.

"I suggest you open it and find out."

She opened it. The envelope contained two tickets to Giants stadium. The look on her face was priceless. "These are for today."

"Yes."

"You tricked me."

"That's true."

"Into going to a baseball game."

"Yes."

"*Why?*"

"I assumed you'd be more likely to accept a summons to a murder scene than an invitation to participate in a social activity with me. I always prefer to stack the odds in my favor as much as possible. So, what do you say, Lisbon? Want to partake in our national past time with me?"

She looked as though she were on the point of refusing on the general principle of not wanting to reward his underhanded behavior, but she looked at the tickets again and wavered. "These are really good seats."

He nodded. "Yes, they are."

"They're right on the first baseline."

"Yes, the man who sold them to me assured me that was a desirable place to be."

"And it is a really nice day."

"Not a cloud in the sky," he agreed.

"And we did drive all the way down here," she rationalized.

"We did indeed."

"If we go back to Sacramento now, we will have wasted the whole afternoon driving for nothing."

"Very true."

She sighed. "You'll buy me a hot dog?"

"With extra ketchup and mustard," he promised.

"And popcorn?"

"Certainly."

"I want candy, too."

"Lisbon, I will provide you with the finest junk food money can buy," he assured her.

This decided her. "All right. Let's go."

xxx

She tried to hide it, but Jane could tell she was pleased that her Saturday hadn't been ruined by a dead body after all.

She teased him about wearing a three piece suit to a baseball game, and he knew victory was in the air. A teasing Lisbon was a happy Lisbon.

She was still a little ill at ease about having allowed him to manipulate her once again, but once they got settled into their seats and the game started, she started to relax. She confessed to him that she hadn't had time to get down to the city to watch a game in several years, but she had gone often when she had been working for SFPD.

"It reminds you of home," he commented.

"Yeah," she said, surprised. "How did you know that?"

"You used to take your brothers to games back in Chicago. Naturally going to games here gives you a way to feel closer to them when you are so far way."

"How do you know I used to take my brothers to baseball games?"

He shrugged. "Tickets weren't expensive back then, so it was an activity you could afford, if you stuck to the nosebleed seats and waited until the day of the game to buy tickets. And it would have kept your brothers and yourself out of the house and out of harm's way when you knew your father had been on a bender and was likely to come home in a violent rage. It was a way you could keep your brothers safe and at the same time provide them one of the only innocent pleasures of childhood you could give them."

She hesitated. "Yeah." She had that slightly wild, hunted look she got when anyone probed more deeply into her past than she normally allowed.

He decided to let her off the hook. He paused. "So, what was the best game you ever went to?"

She relaxed. "1990. Sox vs. Yankees. It looked like Andy Hawkins was going to have a no hitter, and there was no score, but Sosa hit a ground ball to third base in the eighth inning that started off a rally and…"

She continued reciting statistics to him from games she'd attended as a child, and then segued seamlessly into mathematical summaries of the players in the game they were currently watching. Her love of the game was obvious and her excitement infectious. Jane listened to her explain the strategies of the two teams and her predictions about the game's probable outcome, enjoying the sound of Lisbon's voice talking about something that gave her pleasure. It was a refreshing change from their usual routine of discussing murder and then her yelling at him for one thing or another. Not that he didn't enjoy a good scolding from Lisbon, but this was nice, too.

After the game, they grabbed a bite to eat at a favorite haunt of Lisbon's from her SFPD days and Jane was unsurprised that the owner greeted her personally with a warm handshake and a fond look in his eyes. That was his Lisbon. Always made an indelible impression that remained apparent years later. She joked easily with the man, teasing him about his wife, whom she apparently also knew. He marveled that she had no idea the effect she had on people, but didn't enlighten her. If he told her, she'd become self-conscious and clam up. Besides, it wouldn't do for Lisbon to learn the true extent of her power. He wouldn't want her to know everything about the way she affected him, for example. He was a shameless cheat, after all, and intended to use every advantage he had to its fullest potential in achieving his own aims.

He insisted on driving them home, and Lisbon acquiesced without much of a fight, too full and content to muster up the energy to argue. To reward her for this unexpected forbearance, Jane made a conscious effort to drive more slowly than normal. Lisbon looked at him askance when she realized what he was doing, but didn't comment, and they drove back to Sacramento in peaceable silence.

He pulled up in front of Lisbon's apartment and parked the car.

"Thanks, Jane," she said, putting her hand on the door handle. "That was fun."

He waggled his finger at her. "Not yet, Lisbon. The evening isn't over."

"What do you mean?"

He answered by opening the driver's side door and hopping out of the car.

She moved to do the same, only to find he'd engaged the child safety locks and she couldn't open the door. "Jane! What the hell?"

He dashed around to her side of the car and opened the door with a flourish. "What do you expect, Lisbon? I wouldn't need to resort to such crude measures if you didn't make it so difficult to direct a little chivalry your way."

She gave him a funny look. "I don't think locking me in the car so you can open the door for me counts as chivalry, Jane."

"Meh." He placed his hand at the small of her back and gestured to her front door. "Shall we?"

"Shall we what?" Lisbon said suspiciously, resolving not to let him manipulate her into inviting him inside. One major victory a day was more than enough to have to concede to Jane, and he'd already succeeded in kidnapping her to San Francisco.

"I'm walking you to your door," he explained.

"I don't need you to walk me to my door, Jane."

"Lisbon, men don't walk women to their doors because women need them to. They do it because that is the traditional way to end a first date, and because it provides them the best opportunity for scoring a good night kiss."

Lisbon stopped short, but by that time, they'd already made it to her front door. "You think that was a date?"

"Naturally."

She shook her head. "I would have thought…"

He raised his eyebrows. "Yes?"

She blushed. "Nothing."

"You would have thought what?"

"It's just… baseball isn't really your style."

"It's your style."

"I mean- I would have thought you would have gone a bit more over the top romantic on a date."

"If I'd gone straight for candlelit dinners and dancing, you'd have headed for the hills before I got my foot in the door. I'm wooing. That means we get to do what you want to do."

She quirked an eyebrow at him. "Any way you'd be willing to apply that rule at work?"

He smiled wickedly. "Maybe. What will that get me?"

She blushed furiously. "Never mind," she muttered. She cleared her throat. "Anyway, thanks for taking me to the game. I had a good time."

"I'm glad," Jane said. "I had a good time, too."

"You did?"

"Don't sound so surprised. To paraphrase something I said to Hightower once, when you're happy, I'm more happy." He leaned in and kissed her softly. It was sweet and unhurried. The first one they'd shared that didn't immediately escalate into dueling tongues and an overwhelming feeling of wanting desperately to crawl inside one another. He broke the kiss and smiled down at her with a wink. "Not to worry, Lisbon. There will be candlelit dinners and dancing in your future. I know you love to dance."

He kissed her again and then went back to the car, jubilant. He'd gotten Lisbon to spend an entire afternoon doing something she enjoyed. With him. There hadn't even been any yelling. Well, not much, anyway. Yes, the baseball tickets had been a stroke of genius. He congratulated himself on a job well done. He'd gotten her to go on a date with him, but more importantly, for at least a few short hours, he'd made Teresa Lisbon happy. And these days, that was his true benchmark for success.


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: Thanks again everyone for all the lovely reviews/ favorites, etc. One more chapter to go after this one.

xxx

He made good on his promise to take her out for dinner and dancing, although he had to admit that hadn't gone exactly as planned.

Lisbon had been persuaded easily enough, because dancing was something she secretly wanted to do. He'd always known she loved to dance. She rarely indulged the inclination, so convincing her had been only the most trifling challenge.

No, the problem with the dancing started when he came to pick her up at her apartment and she answered the door in a red dress and rather devastating red heels. His brain had stuttered in a way he was unaccustomed to at the sight of her, and he was fairly sure his jaw had actually dropped. Really, that kind of lapse of control over his expression was inexcusable. He looked at the dress again. Inexcusable, perhaps, but certainly understandable.

She raised her eyebrow at him. "Something wrong?"

He recovered. "Not at all. You look lovely. Shall we?"

He put his hand in its usual place at the small of her back to guide her to the car. He bit back a yelp when his hand met bare skin. He snatched his hand away as though it had been burned.

She blinked up at him, clearly aware of the effect she was having on him, and deeply amused by his reaction. "What's the matter?" she said innocently.

"Nothing," he grumbled. He paused. "Are you aware your dress has no back?"

She lifted one elegant brow, not making any effort whatsoever to disguise her amusement. "That a problem?"

"Not at all," he ground out. He forced himself to put his hand back on the bare skin of her lower back. "Let's go."

She laughed, a deep, throaty, Lisbon laugh, and Jane closed his eyes. This was going to be a long night.

xxx

It was worse when they actually started to dance. He'd been distracted all through dinner, simultaneously anticipating the prospect of feeling her move against him in that silky bit of nothing she was wearing with equal parts eagerness and dread. Lisbon, on the other hand, was unfazed. She happily tucked away her steak and potatoes and the better part of a piece of rich dark chocolate cake they'd agreed to share without appearing to be bothered by his uncharacteristic silence. He realized she was enjoying having him at a disadvantage for once, but he couldn't see a way to regain the upper hand. Finally he sighed inwardly and conceded defeat. He was going to have to accept that Lisbon had won this round.

He stood and extended his hand. "May I have this dance?"

"I thought you'd never ask," she teased him, eyes full of mirth.

One thing was for sure. When victory was in her sight, Teresa Lisbon took no prisoners. She was merciless on the dance floor.

She danced close to him, moving with a complete abandon which was intoxicating to behold and dangerous to feel against him. He'd be lying if he said he didn't enjoy the experience, but it was clear he'd had no idea what he was getting into when he'd asked Lisbon to go dancing with him. He may have been leading, but she was the one with all the control in this situation. He was grateful for the rhythm of the music dictating the pattern of his movements, otherwise he might have started shaking. In fact, he wasn't entirely sure he wasn't. The thing he always forgot about Lisbon was that no matter how reassuringly predictable she could be about certain things, she always retained the ability to surprise him.

He kept his hand at the small of her back the whole time, marveling at the softness of her skin and the movement of her muscles under his fingertips.

Her hand was in his other hand, her small, strong hand, and he was seized with an urge to spirit her away, to hide her from anything that could hurt her, to lock her in a room with him where they could just keep dancing and arguing and never being shot at or almost blown up. He forced himself to take a deep breath, and then another, hoping Lisbon hadn't noticed the way his arms had tightened around her as these thoughts flashed across his mind, or at least that she would misinterpret the reason behind it if she did. Lisbon, as she so frequently reminded him, didn't want anyone to protect her, and if he tried, she'd probably handcuff him to the radiator and then march off to face the bad guys alone. To try to protect her like that would be to deny who she was. And though he liked this soft, dancing Lisbon, very much, he really was quite fond of the tough, yelling, saving the world Lisbon, and wouldn't trade her for anything in the world.

The rich cinnamon scent he always associated with her rolled off her hair in waves. He inhaled deeply and felt rather dizzy. This was what being with Lisbon was going to be like. He might trip happily along, thinking he was in control, but Lisbon was the sun to his orbiting planet, the stable force he always gravitated back to. Her light gave life and warmth but her fire could burn as well. The thought of being consumed by her intensity was not unappealing, though. In fact, it was strangely thrilling.

He decided they would dance often, in this new life he had in mind for them. Seeing Lisbon, pure and unrestrained, was thoroughly delightful. But he'd need to recover himself before trying again. Run through some of his biofeedback tricks so he could stay focused. Clearly, he thought, feeling his heart beating rapidly against her, he was woefully out of practice.


	5. Chapter 5

He'd been right. Lisbon had gotten used to having him around.

She was still suspicious of gifts, but try as she might, she couldn't hide her pleasure in the scent of the bouquet of wildflowers he presented her, or her surprised gratitude when she found out he'd replaced the bag of coffee beans in her freezer with the finest French roast money could buy. Oh, sure, she made the token fuss about him breaking into her apartment again, but it was really a lot like the couch. She denied that there was anything wrong with her old couch, and insisted it was wasteful to buy a brand new one when the old one was perfectly fine, but he saw her relax into the new one when she thought no one was looking. She knew, deep down, that the new one was better than the old one. The problem for Lisbon was that she was a truly sensuous person. She hid it well, and had trained herself not to give into it through years of self-denial, but when he removed choice from the equation, she couldn't resist succumbing to the pure physical satisfaction inherent in inhaling the sweet scent of wildflowers and drinking the highest quality coffee available in the continental United States. Really, he should have started spoiling Lisbon years ago. She clearly needed it.

It wasn't a great leap from breaking in to restock her coffee supply to dropping by her apartment with a hot meal after work and finding an excuse to stay for a movie, and then to making that a habit that he indulged more often than not.

He cooked her enchiladas and homemade lasagna. Privately, he thought Lisbon needed a little feeding up. She was entirely too likely to forget to eat when not under his watchful eye. Plus, it was a joy to watch the woman eat. She was prone to making small unconscious sounds of pleasure when she was eating, which were reward enough for the trouble of cooking, but she also had a tendency to close her eyes and allow an expression of ecstasy steal over her features when savoring a particularly tasty bite. Jane was certain she was unaware of this and had no intention of telling her. He would just keep cooking and quietly enjoy the satisfaction of eliciting such a response from his—from Lisbon.

Slowly but surely, Lisbon grew accustomed to having around, just as he predicted.  
She stopped protesting when he showed up at her place uninvited and instead peered inside the grocery bags he brought over to find out what he'd brought her that day.

Instead of growing defensive when he commented she looked tired and was clearly longing to crash on the couch and watch an old movie, she let him curl up beside her.

Three months, six days, and nine hours after a jury declared him a free man, Jane had his real moment of triumph.

He let himself into her apartment with the key he'd had made from the one he'd stolen from her.

"Lisbon," he called, setting down his grocery bags on the kitchen counter. "I'm here."

Lisbon came down the stairs in loose fitting yoga pants and a blue tank top. She crossed to the kitchen and greeted him with a kiss. "Where've you been?" she asked with a smile. "I expected you ages ago."

Stunned, Jane took a moment to recover. He gestured blindly to the bags on the counter. "Dinner," he managed at last. "I stopped to pick up dinner."

"Mm, what did you bring me?" she asked, peering into the bags.

When he didn't answer right away, she looked up to find him staring at her with a soft smile on his face. "What?" she asked with a questioning smile of her own.

His smile widened. "You kissed me."

Was that all? "So?" Lisbon turned back to the groceries, trying to find out what he'd brought her for dessert. Jane was very good at dessert.

"That's the first time you've done that," he informed her.

Chocolate raspberry cake. Excellent. "Jane, I've been kissing you for three months."

"No," he corrected her. "I have been kissing you for three months."

She looked back at him. "What the hell is the difference?"

"You have been a delightful participant in the kissing, once I started it, but this is the first time you initiated a kiss on your own."

"I've kissed you before," Lisbon insisted. She tried to think of an example and failed.

"Trust me, a man is not going to forget the first time Teresa Lisbon kisses him. And this, my dear, was it."

"Whatever," Lisbon said, turning back to the food. Mm, he'd brought a bottle of her favorite wine, too. Spending time with someone as observant as Jane did have its advantages at times.

"You don't seem to recognize the significance of this moment, Lisbon," Jane said.

She turned back to him. "The significance of what moment?"

"You have given in."

"Given in?"

"Capitulated. Surrendered. Admitted defeat."

"What are you talking about?"

He pointed a finger at her. "You've stopped resisting the idea that you and I are a couple."

She stopped short. "What?"

"You've been fighting me tooth and nail ever since I started pursuing you romantically."

"By pursuing romantically, you're referring to kidnapping me and your habit of breaking and entering?"

"Extreme methods I was forced to adopt because you've playing very hard to get. But now, I drink from the cup of glory, because victory is mine."

"The cup of glory, huh? Is it filled with Earl Grey?"

"Mock all you like, Lisbon, you will not ruin this moment for me."

"Your moment of victory, you mean?"

"Yes, exactly."

"Okay, well, is there any way you can drink your cup of glory with dinner? I'm starving."

He trapped her against the kitchen cupboard, resting his hands on her hips. "First, I want you to admit it."

"Admit what?"

"Admit that we're together."

"Jane, you announced we were together to everyone we know three months ago."

"Yes, but you didn't believe it until now."

"Well, there's no way I'm calling you my swain, if that's what you're after."

"If you prefer suitor, I'm perfectly willing to accommodate you on that point, but I'm really not picky. All I want is for you to admit we're going to build a life together. If that's too difficult, though, I'll settle for a simple 'I love you.'"

She rolled her eyes. "All right, fine." She paused. "I may, on occasion, experience some feelings towards you that are not entirely platonic, and despite the fact that you are an enormous pain in the ass most of the time, I have grown pretty used to having you around, so I suppose I have no objection to allowing you to continue to break into my apartment for the foreseeable future. Now, can we eat?"

He looked into her eyes and smiled. "Well, it's not exactly hearts and candy, but I suppose I'll accept it as the best declaration of love you can come up with for now." He loosened his hold on her slightly but she didn't move away. "So, what was it that changed your mind?" he asked with a grin. "It was the school pin, wasn't it? I knew you were an old-fashioned girl at heart."

"Nah. I just liked the food. Good personal chefs are hard to come by. If I can have one feeding me regularly for nothing but a few measly kisses, I figure that's not too high a price to pay."

She was lying, he could tell. She secretly liked the pin, but still didn't want to admit it. He decided to play along. "I see. So this is a strictly mercenary strategy on your part?"

"Pretty much, yeah. Now, can we eat?"

"Just one moment."

"Jane! Come on, I'm hungry."

"I just need to clarify one thing. Am I correct in understanding that you view kissing me as the equivalent of a monetary reward for feeding you?"

She thought about this. "Pretty much."

"In that case, Lisbon, I have one thing to say to you."

"What's that?"

He stepped closer to her and pointed to his mouth. "Pay up."

She obliged him.

They didn't end up eating dinner until quite some time later.

xxx

The End


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